'Alienated #1: What BOOM! Studios' latest comic series is all about and why you should be excited about it
'Alienated' #1 releases this Wednesday, and its first print has already sold out at the distributor level. The BOOM! Studios comic has been generating a lot of buzz in the lead-up to its release, and it is worth taking a closer look at.
According to the official synopsis, the book is about "three teenagers, each an outcast in their own way, who stumble upon an unearthly entity as it is born."
It continues: "As they bond over this shared secret and the creature's incredible abilities, it becomes clear to the teenagers that their cute little pet is a predator in the making — and it’s in need of prey."
"Guided by the best intentions at first, the teens' decisions soon become corrupted by adolescent desires, small-town jealousies and internal rivalries, sending them into a catastrophic spiral of their own making," the synopsis adds.
The series has been touted as an examination of what corruptible teens would do with the power to change the world.
"The idea started years ago as a question (what if ET's Elliot wasn't such a nice kid?) and has evolved into something far more nuanced, characterful and psychedelic. With a body count," says writer Si Spurrier, on his blog.
The comic book series even has its own trailer, which you can watch below:
Spurrier has broken down some of the techniques used in the comic on his Twitter page, in a long thread describing the use of caption boxes, thought bubbles and, most significantly, the use of color in differentiating the series' three protagonists from each other.
"In essence, we spend some time in Issue 1 introducing each of our stars in such a way that they are each incontrovertibly associated with one color in particular. And we rope in elements of Christian's design and Andre's color schemes to really sell it," says Spurrier, referring to artist Chris Wildgoose and colorist Andre May.
All the four main parts involved in making this comic play a big role in this series — the writer, the letterer, the artist and the colorist. "ALIENATED's one of those books where all these roles are crucial to the storytelling, in some weird and wonderful ways," Spurrier writes.
Si Spurrier has been the writer behind a ton of stylistically wild and conceptually unique comics over the years. His most recent BOOM! Studios comic, 'Coda' was a well-structured fever dream of a comic, following a tired cynic in a world of broken magic scavenged from the leftovers of a fantasy war.
He's written for both Marvel and DC and is currently writing 'John Constantine: Hellblazer', However, his strongest work comes out in unique concept limited series.
Other comics of his feature, for example, a world of personal gods and worship as currency ('Godshaper'), a war unit comprised of mythical creatures ('Cry Havoc') and a detective story with political intrigue set on a multi-tiered fantasy spire ('The Spire').
Chris Wildgoose is best known for his work on 'Porcelain: A Gothic Fairytale,' in collaboration with Benjamin Read. His art has a vivid, animated style that fills each page with energy that, combined with Andre May's art, will make for a highly engrossing visual experience.
According to Spurrier, Wildgoose has even designed an entire runic language to denote the feelings of the alien Chip in 'Alienated'.
'Alienated' #1 releases February 12, wherever comics are sold. It is written by Si Spurrier with art by Chris Wildgoose, colors by Andre May and lettering by Jim Campbell.